Public to board: You let the time run out

Residents say they are disappointed by lack of movement on filling vacant seat

Chula Vista  A deadline for Sweetwater Union High School District board members to fill a vacant seat either by appointment or through a special election has come and gone, leaving community members upset that the seat will remain unfilled for months.

Feb. 17 marked the last day for sitting trustees to fill former board member Arlie Ricasa’s seat. She resigned Dec. 19 after pleading guilty a day earlier to a misdemeanor charge of accepting gifts above state limits.

School board bylaws state that any board member convicted of a felony or offense involving a violation of his or her duties or convicted of a designated crime must forfeit his or her seat.

Ricasa was one of four Sweetwater board members named as defendants in a South County corruption probe launched by Bonnie Dumanis in January 2012.

The board's inaction means an election to fill Ricasa's seat will occur in November, when the seats held by trustees Jim Cartmill and John McCann are also on the ballot. Ricasa’s seat was up for election this November.

For the next nine months, the district will operate with four board members.

Community member Maty Adato said she found it mind boggling that the remaining trustees did not address the vacancy.

“As a board member and as superintendent of this district you are given the responsibility to serve the public, the community and students you represent,” she said. “This board and Dr. (Ed) Brand (the district superintendent) have again let the community down.”

Chula Vista resident Kevin O’Neill said not even a Super Bowl should have been more important.

“You could have gotten together,” he said. "This was more important and you didn’t get it done. You let the time run out.”

District spokesman Manny Rubio said that because the two other seats are up for election in November anyway, there would be no additional cost to the district to add the third.

At a Jan. 14 meeting, school district attorney Dan Shinoff estimated a special election could the district cost up to $1.5 million.

"I think this is a positive direction for the district," Trustee John McCann said. "Since I am their newest elected board member I’ve been here fighting for ethics and by allowing the people to choose the replacement I think it increases the transparency and ethics of the process."

Board bylaws state that when a vacancy occurs four or more months before the end of a board member's term, the board has 60 days to fill the empty seat through a provisional appointment or have a special election.

An item regarding either holding a special election or making an appointment was on the board’s Jan. 14 agenda but didn’t make it to a vote. To make an appointment, three members would have to vote in favor of a candidate. The three board members who were present Jan. 14 did not expect to be able to vote unanimously on any candidate and also said they preferred to have the input of Trustee Pearl Quiñones, who was absent from that meeting.

The board agreed it would try and get in touch with Quiñones, who was out of town, as soon as possible and set another meeting.

Rubio said in December that the district expected to make a provisional appointment as soon as possible to fill the vacancy. A special meeting to create an appointment process was expected to occur, but it never happened.

On Feb. 12, the San Diego County Board of Education held a public meeting to discuss the creation of geographic election districts for Sweetwater instead of having trustees elected at large.

The meeting was the result of petition submitted with 750 signatures by South Bay civic group Citizens for a Better Sweetwater in December 2013 to the County Office of Education to get the proposal on the November ballot.

The board approved the proposal for geographic voting areas within the district. Speakers at the meeting said the change was necessary to improve representation, transparency and trust.

The change in election system will be implemented beginning with the Nov. 4 election and completed by the 2016 election.